Galatasaray renews contract with Jawai

As announced by the club on Thursday afternoon, Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul and center Nate Jawai reached an agreement to stay together for two more years. Jawai (2.07 meters, 27 years old) arrived to Galatasaray last summer, but his season was cut short by a season ending neck trauma in Round 2 of the regular season against Olympiacos Piraues, game he finished with career-high 22 points. Previously in 2012-13, his last full season, he played with FC Barcelona, which he helped reached the 2013 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in London. In a reserve role that season, Jawai proceeded to lead the league in per-minute rebounds with an average of 12.04 per 40 minutes. He ranked ninth in the league in per-minute index rating too with 23.5 per 40 minutes. He compiled 7.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks over 30 Euroleague games with Barcelona. Jawai made his Euroleague debut in the 2010-11 campaign, during which he helped Partizan Belgrade win the Adriatic League, Serbian League and Serbian Cup crowns. From there he moved to Unics Kazan, which he helped reach the Euroleague playoffs. Jawai started his career in 2005 with the Queensland Under-20 team and also played that season with the Southern Dictrict Spartans and the Australian Institute of Sport. Jawai spent the 2007-08 season with the Cairns Taipans and was named Rookie of the Year in the Aussie League after posting 17.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Before joining Partizan, Jawai spent two seasons in North America, suiting up for Minnesota and Toronto in the NBA and Sioux Falls and Idaho in the D League. He currently representing Australia at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.